


hear my heart burst again

by ohallows



Series: tumblr prompts collection [10]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Dancing, Fluff, Other, Spies & Secret Agents, based on a prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: Cel sidles up next to her, arm linking with hers. Azu leans down and presses a kiss to their temple as Cel beams up at her. “Everything in place, love?” she asks, not bothering to hide the affection in her voice. This is the one part of tonight that won’t be faked - there’s a reason Azu and Cel are sent out on most missions to play the soppy couple in love, and it’s because they are a soppy couple in love.“We are… firing on all cycles - cycles? Cylinders. All cylinders, firing and ready to go. Staked out the cameras - you look very fetching in 360p, which is really an accomplishment, you know?” Cel rambles, and Azu pulls them off to the side, away from the dancing crowds.
Relationships: Azu/Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom
Series: tumblr prompts collection [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584370
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	hear my heart burst again

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "formal events are not my thing these shoes are new and this is a very long staircase at least you were at the bottom to break my fall I’m so sorry" with azu/cel?
> 
> me: thinks abt how eddie is canonically a monster of an npc and how alex forgot to scale him down so he’s just an absolute tank  
> me: :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: this was written before cel’s age was revealed! as they’re like.... in their 40s/50s in human years and clearly significantly older than azu, i no longer feel comfortable shipping them, but i also don’t want to take these fics down. so, just a heads up, this was written from a perspective where they were much closer in age. also i won’t be writing any more azu/cel for reasons stated above.

The ballroom is a sprawling thing, with golden chandeliers swaying slightly above the dancing couples, and solid marble pillars lining the room, lights reflecting off of the surface and bouncing around, giving the entire room an ethereal feel. There are waiters, impeccably dressed and trained, standing to attention at optimal points around the room, offering a nearly unfathomable myriad of hors d'oeuvres to the gossiping attendees. 

It reeks of wealth, of  _ status _ , and the people twirling around in the middle of the floor are no different, with jewels and dresses that cost more money than most charities will see in their lifetime. Azu spares a thought for Sasha, imagines how twitchy her fingers would be in this room, and hides a smile. She’d be able to nick half the jewels in this room with no one being the wiser - not that she  _ would, _ not when she’d have to deal with Grizzop fixing her with disappointed looks for two weeks, minimum. 

Someone offers her a champagne glass and Azu takes it gratefully, murmuring a soft thank you. She doesn’t have any plans to drink it, of course - she’s on a  _ mission _ . But, nearly everyone else in the room is holding one, and the more she blends into the crowd, the better.

Cel sidles up next to her, arm linking with hers. Azu leans down and presses a kiss to their temple as Cel beams up at her. “Everything in place, love?” she asks, not bothering to hide the affection in her voice. This is the one part of tonight that won’t be faked - there’s a reason Azu and Cel are sent out on most missions to play the soppy couple in love, and it’s because they  _ are  _ a soppy couple in love. 

“We are… firing on all cycles - cycles? Cylinders. All cylinders, firing and ready to go. Staked out the cameras - you look  _ very  _ fetching in 360p, which is really an accomplishment, you know?” Cel rambles, and Azu pulls them off to the side, away from the dancing crowds. “Zolf’s been yammering in my ear, but that's not new, you know how he gets. And we’re just waiting on -“

As if on cue, they hear a loud voice wafting through the air, and as both of them recognize it, they look up, only to spot their partner for the night singing a rousing song as he makes their way back over to them.

“My, he’s got  _ quite  _ a lovely baritone, hasn’t he?” Cel comments, and Azu recognizes that tone in their voice.

“No, absolutely not,” she says, cutting off that train of thought at the pass, and Cel pouts up at her.

“But - okay, Hamid can sing the higher parts, and  _ you’ve  _ got a gorgeous voice as well, and I’m sure we can figure out how to cover up Grizzop if he -“

Thankfully, the latest installment of Cel’s master plan to form a coworker band is interrupted as Eddie finally makes his way over to them, and keeps singing as he wraps his arms around their shoulders. Azu can  _ hear  _ Zolf nearly tearing out his hair from here.

“Finished up, then?” she asks, and Eddie nods.

“Did exactly what Hamid told me to,” Eddie says, and squeezes their shoulders. “Everything’s set up just like he wanted!”

“Good job, Eddie,” Azu says, and Eddie unwraps his arms from around their shoulders. “Are you -“

“Oh,  _ wicked _ ,” Eddie cuts her off, making a beeline for the small appetizers on display. The waiter extends the tray toward him and Eddie takes the entire thing, balancing it on one hand as he starts snacking. “There’s  _ loads _ of food here!”

Azu nods, and gives a slightly apologetic smile to the waiter, who’s staring at Eddie, flummoxed. Cel reaches forward and begins transferring the appetizers to another plate, handing the new plate to Eddie and taking the regular one. They hand it back to the waiter, who gives them a thankful look and then retreats - Azu assumes to grab more snacks. 

She takes Eddie by the arm and escorts him a bit away, out of sight of most of the regular patrons, and Cel follows behind, leaning casually against the wall as they stick their hands in the pockets of their suits. Eddie’s still snacking away happily, watching the dancers as they twirl around on the floor, and so Azu takes the moment to adjust her earring and, in so doing, press against her earpiece. “Zolf, we’re all set up.”

_ “Right,”  _ she hears Zolf say, and the undercurrent of tension running through his voice is to be expected. He doesn’t like being left behind and running comms while everyone else throws themselves into danger, and he doesn’t even have Hamid there to keep him from pacing through the van to work off some of his nervous energy. “ _ We know Nikalos is going to be moving the product tonight. Wilde’s passed along the intel and an entire file folder on him. Please, if you ever cared about me as your friend and coworker,  _ **_don’t_ ** _ cause a scene. Hamid’s already busy running interference on that little cock-up from last week that Bertie caused and he doesn’t need another international crisis on his hands. And I could do without the heart attack. All you three need to do is swipe the USB before he can run off with it. Okay? And. Don’t fuck up.” _

“Cheers, mate,” Cel mutters, brushing against the earpiece as they pretend to be arranging their hair to be pointing even higher. “Appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Azu - and Cel, for that matter - have been on enough missions where Zolf’s the man in charge that they know that him being… well,  _ blunt  _ is a good sign. It’s Zolf’s default state, regardless, and it gets keyed up when he’s tense. It would be  _ more  _ worrying if he had been optimistic about the outcome. Zolf plans for the worst, makes up ten thousand contingencies and exit plans just in case something breaks bad, and the only person Azu trusts to be running a mission more than him is Hamid. 

“ _ See you back in an hour. You know what to do.”  _ They do. It’s radio silent from here on out; Cel has a few jammers hidden in the sleeves of their suit, but it’s always safer to keep the communications to a minimum just in case someone’s been able to bypass their tech. Azu hasn’t seen it happen yet, but it’s a protocol that both Zolf and Sasha stick to - she isn’t sure who learned it from the other, really. If something goes wrong, the rules change, but for now, they’re on their own. Well, as on their own as they can be with an entire agency on standby just in case something  _ really  _ goes wrong. 

“Ready?” Cel asks, their normal enthusiasm a bit muted the way it always is before a mission. Azu leans over and presses a kiss to their forehead.

“Ready,” she whispers, lips brushing against their skin, and Cel reaches out, squeezing Azu’s hand. 

“Ready,” Eddie says, with a salute, and dumps the rest of the food into a nearby trash. “I’ll follow you two, then.”

A lot of people had questioned Eddie’s addition to MI5, at the onset. Zolf certainly wasn’t happy, and Sasha outright refused to go on stakeouts with him. There had been a rumor going around that he was the son of a wealthy benefactor who had paid his way to a spot on the team. Grizzop and Sasha had both done some digging after the fact and found out that, yes, his father was wealthy, but that he’d disowned Eddie years ago for ‘undisclosed reasons’. Even Cel had taken a crack at it and hadn’t been able to find more than that. Wilde had given them a bit more, explaining that Eddie was on board because he was an (in inverted commas) irreplaceable asset. 

It had taken them all a bit to really realize what he meant by that, but it became clear soon enough, when they’d been doing a training module and Eddie had beaten the simulation quicker than anyone else. Plus, Eddie’s got a  _ wicked  _ head for numbers, better than most they’ve seen, and Azu hadn’t really realized how perfect he was for the job until they’d been partnered together for a mission. 

She’d always liked him, of course - everyone liked Eddie, how could you not? - and had given him a lot more credit than some of their coworkers had at the beginning (especially this arse down in research, Tjelvar). She’d had her own reservations, but then - okay, she isn’t sure if it’s something he’s actively trying to do or if it’s just Eddie being Eddie, but people can’t lie to him, not really. He can always tell, somehow - it’s become a bit of a game between him and Sasha, now, and he’s winning by a landslide. 

And, it doesn’t hurt that his hand-to-hand combat is less “combat” and more “a one round KO.” He’s dead helpful in a firefight, too, with keen aim. And he’s just  _ nice.  _ It’s a rarity in this line of work, although Azu thinks she’s gotten luckier than most with her own little team. 

But back to the mission at hand. Azu adjusts her mask and then winds her arm around Cel’s waist. They’re wearing a mask as well, a dark green to Azu’s dark blue. She’d  _ wanted  _ to go with the pink, but Hamid had - rightfully, she supposes - convinced her that if (or when) it ends in a firefight and they need to make their escape, a bright pink mask won’t do her any favors as they try to sneak off. 

She leads them over to the floor, an informal request to dance that Cel always accepts, and tracks Eddie with her eyes. His job is to stake out the target from afar - Cel and Azu are going to be busy dancing, trying to get close to the target on the dance floor. Cel’s got quick fingers, and if they see an opening, their job is to swipe the USB from Nikolaus’ pocket before he can notice. Their fingers aren’t as quick as Sasha’s, but they do have  _ considerably  _ better dancing skills, so some trade offs had to be made. (Plus, Azu thinks Sasha is in. Hmm. Argentina, maybe? She’s got a few side consulting jobs that pull her away, sometimes.) 

Azu gives Cel a bit of a curtsy, and they give her a bow in return, and then they come together in the loosest approximation of a waltz. She pulls Cel a bit closer to her and bends down, lips brushing against their ear as her hand surreptitiously presses on the nearly-invisible earpiece. “We’re in position,” she murmurs, and then pulls back with a soft smile; anyone watching would think that it was nothing more than two dates sharing a secret, and, lo and behold, no one gives them a second look. 

Zolf doesn’t say anything in response - radio silent, and all that - but Azu knows he’s going to be watching the monitors like a hawk, ready to catch any sign of the mission going tits-up. 

Most people are only swaying back and forth, moving a little bit, so Azu tries to match their pace, not wanting to stand out too much. It’s easy enough to slowly make their way across the dance floor, laughing and stumbling a little bit - playing up the drunk angle always seems to divert more eyes than it attracts, and before they know it, they’re dancing near Nikolaus and the blonde woman, maybe a  _ bit  _ too young for him, that he brought as his date.

It doesn’t take long at all before they’re next to him, swaying slowly to the music, and as much as Azu wants to try a few dips and twirls, Cel seems like they’re in the best position to reach into his pocket. There are couples all around them, whispering to each other and laughing, and Azu leans forward, resting her cheek against Cel’s temple.

She doesn’t notice when Cel’s hand snakes out and swipes the USB from his pocket, but she notices the intent nod they give her, and then they’re spinning away again, laughing together in a very real, quiet relief. She looks up and spots Eddie wandering around and charming everyone he talks to, and then he catches their eye and slowly makes his way around the edge of the dance floor to meet up with them. 

No one is watching as Azu and Cel leave the dance floor arm in arm. No one is watching as Cel flashes the USB in their direction before hiding it in one of the thousand pockets of their suit. No one is watching as Azu presses a triumphant kiss to their lips and then, when Eddie starts to pout, another kiss to Eddie’s cheek. 

Now, they just need to  _ leave,  _ and then they’re off scot-free. Nikolaus is still dancing with some pretty young blonde, and he doesn’t look like he’s willing to surface from  _ that  _ anytime soon. It’s the perfect time to make their escape, so they do, sneaking out of the hall without anyone being all the wiser. 

Zolf had made sure each of them knew the blueprints forward and back, going so far as to quiz each of them individually. Azu’s glad he did, because she knows exactly where to go to find the exit closest to the door. They move through the hallway, thankfully not running into any guards or staff along the way, and then they’re almost out. All they need to do is get up the staircase and out the door, and they’ll be good to go.

Eddie and Cel seem to both realize as well, slow smiles taking over their faces. “Aw, we did it!” Eddie cheers, quietly, and Cel gives him a high-five. 

“The van should be across the road when we get out,” Cel says, looking at Azu for confirmation. Azu nods, and they beam. “Can’t believe how  _ smooth _ this went.”

Azu’s heart leaps into her throat, and she’s halfway through telling them to knock on wood in order not to jinx it, when Eddie starts moving up the stairs. 

“Yeah, it was dead easy. I didn’t even need to use these new shoes Hamid got me, look!” Eddie says brightly, and kicks one up to rest on the banister. They  _ are  _ nice shoes, as well; they’re a deep black, with fancy laces and intricate stitching along the side. The heels - about half an inch high - are a solid gold, matching his mask, and they gleam even in the low light.

He looks around furtively and leans in toward both of them, pitching his voice as low as Azu thinks he’s able to. “They’ve got an explosive in the heel, you know!” he says with a wink, and Azu does a quick sweep to make sure no one heard. There’s still no one in the hallway, but she just wants to get all of them out in one piece without causing a scene, on Zolf’s request, but if anything is going to go wrong, it’ll be now. 

So, of course, it does. She almost would swear that she sees it happening before it actually does; Eddie takes a step forward, not looking as he misses the step completely, and Azu knows he’s about to fall. She’s always heard that moments like this feel like they’re happening in slow-motion, a creeping realization crawling up your back, but this is the opposite. There’s no time to think - so Azu doesn’t, nearly leaping forward as Eddie’s unable to right himself or cling onto the bannister to his left. He falls straight backward, but Azu is there to cushion his fall as he collides with her chest.

Eddie isn’t a small man - the air gets knocked out of Azu at the impact, but she’s not a small woman either, and she doesn’t lose her footing or drop Eddie, arms securely locked around his middle. Cel lets out a strange muffled shriek, and then whips around to face the rest of the hallway, hand resting just above their waistband. Azu knows they’ve got some new super weapon that they helped develop, and she really hopes that they won’t have to use it. 

No one comes around the corner, though, even as all three of them stand there, frozen. Azu counts to ten in her head, and can see Cel’s lips forming the numbers as they count as well. Nothing happens, no one appears, and Azu lets herself breathe a sigh of relief, tension bleeding from her shoulders.

“Aw, cheers, Azu!” Eddie says, smiling brightly as he regains his balance and claps her on the shoulder. “Dunno what I’d do without you!”

“Please be more careful,” Azu says, hand over her chest. “I very nearly had a heart attack.”

Eddie does have the grace to look sheepish. “I  _ am  _ sorry, honest,” he says, and Azu gives him a brief smile.

“I know, Ed. It’s fine, I was just worried,” she says, and he stands up a bit straighter at that. 

“My turn!” Cel exclaims, interrupting, and slips away from Azu’s side as they retrace Eddie’s steps up the stairs. “Catch me!” 

Azu has to scramble to get into position as Cel lets themselves fall backward. She catches them in time, being careful not to slip herself, and glares down at them half-heartedly.

“We  _ do  _ have a mission,” Azu reminds them, and Cel just smiles up at her, comfortable in her arms. “That won’t  _ always  _ work, you know.” She knows it’s a lie. Hell,  _ Cel _ knows it’s a lie, but they don’t call her on it, just lean up and press a kiss to her cheek. 

“Mhm,” they say, and Azu sets them on their feet. “Well, that was fun. Time to go?” 

Azu sighs, good-naturedly, and begins leading the way out of the building. “When Zolf’s grumpy that we’re late, I’m telling him it’s your fault. Payback.”

Cel makes a fake betrayed noise at that, their hand flying to their chest. “Why, I would  _ never,”  _ they insist, and Azu laughs. She’s got a laundry list of times when they blamed her for being late, and Cel knows that. So Azu just leans forward and presses a kiss to their temple.

“Er, I… really think we should go,” Eddie says, suddenly, and Azu and Cel both go still. One other bonus of having Eddie along on missions - he’s got some  _ scarily  _ accurate instincts. Both of them wait and listen, and can hear footsteps in the distance, along with some angry cries. “Think Mr. Purple Suit figured it out.”

Azu nods, short, and tugs the two of them toward the exit. The cameras are all stuck in a loop, so they don’t need to worry about being seen, and if Grizzop’s done his work correctly, all the doors will be unlocked for them. He will have - he’s never let Azu down. 

Her faith is rewarded when they get to the door and it opens easily as anything. She ushers Cel and Eddie through the door, and then takes a breath of fresh air. And the van is just across the road, where Azu is sure a lecture is waiting for them, for messing about at the end there. She doesn’t really mind; Zolf usually has a lecture at the end of missions, but it just means that he cares. Still. She  _ is  _ going to lay the blame squarely at Cel’s feet, and tells them as much again. They don’t seem bothered. 

“You know,” Cel starts to ramble, arm wrapped around Azu’s as they head toward the van. “Zolf is grumpy most times  _ anyway _ , except for when Hamid is really stressed or when he’s talking to Sasha or when a new Campbell book has released, so I think we’d be dealing with a grumpy him  _ anyways.” _

_ “You know,”  _ a voice comes through their earpieces, dry and unamused.  _ “I can hear you.” _

Cel doesn’t apologize, just laughing and waving at the van as they walk toward it. Eddie bounds ahead, ever the eager golden retriever of a man, and Zolf pushes open the door, looking unimpressed, but Azu can see the relief and pride in his eyes as they all clamber into the back. Cel leans against her, nuzzling in close with their legs tucked over Azu’s, and Zolf turns the van on as they start to head back to HQ.

Another successful mission.

**Author's Note:**

> apparently i can’t just write little ficlets no i come up with entire au’s about stuff that i’ll never explore further than this
> 
> anyways i would really appreciate any kudoses and comments y’all leave!! it means a lot to me


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